australian working holiday visa

1.
Posted byMatt_Owens(Budding Member 4 posts) 10y
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Hey,

I've been granted an Australian working holiday visa and i've been advised by the company to apply for an Australian bank account. They stated that i wouldn't get through immigration without one. I have enough money in English pounds to pass through (i can prove with a statement), but i haven't got an Australian bank account. Do I need to set one up, or can i get through with a statement from another (non Australian - HSBC) account?

Thanks M

2.
Posted bySander(Moderator 5297 posts) 10y
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Quoting Matt_Owens

I've been granted an Australian working holiday visa and i've been advised by the company to apply for an Australian bank account. They stated that i wouldn't get through immigration without one.

I have enough money in English pounds to pass through (i can prove with a statement), but i haven't got an Australian bank account. Do I need to set one up, or can i get through with a statement from another (non Australian - HSBC) account?

You only need to be able to show proof of funds, so your money in your UK bank account is just fine. However, no one who's ever posted about it here on travellerspoint has ever even been asked for that proof of funds. Backpackers from Europe are low-risk, and so you they really just wave you through.

Opening a bank account once you've arrived in Australia is of course recommended (definitely if you're intending to work, but even if not it'll save you money (assuming you have to pay for overseas ATM withdrawals) to just transfer all your money to your Australian bank in one go, and then withdraw from ATMs as you go), and supremely easy. Just walk into any Australian bank branch during your first few weeks in the country, show your passport and make an initial deposit of $50 (AUD), and you're done.

[ Edit: Edited on Feb 10, 2008, at 12:48 PM by Sander ]

3.
Posted bySOMV(Budding Member 58 posts) 10y
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Sander is absolutely right - that advice is nonsense. BUT you can (not need to) open a bank account before you leave. Just one less thing you will have to do once you arrive in Australia. I believe that the Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and ANZ Banks allow people to open bank accounts from overseas. You should check out their websites.

Cheers

4.
Posted byMatt_Owens(Budding Member 4 posts) 10y
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